Russia and Ukraine Report Cyber-Attacks on Emergency Alert Apps

Russia and Ukraine say their emergency warning applications have been hit by apparent cyber-attacks, resulting in alarming false messages being sent to users.

Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said its application had suffered a “massive cyber-attack”, which sent false information to the public. However, the ministry maintained that the country’s wider emergency alert system was operating normally.

Ukrainian news outlet UNN reported that the messages included fake warnings of nuclear strikes inside Russia. A Ukrainian partisan group has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, although the claim has not been independently verified.

The incident comes shortly after Ukraine’s air raid alert application was apparently hacked, sending false warnings of a radiation threat in Kyiv.

Ukraine’s authorities said the messages were false and urged residents to remain calm and rely on official sources for information.

Ukraine has blamed Russia for the attack on its alert application, while Moscow has not identified who it believes was responsible for the cyber-attack on its system.

The false alerts in Ukraine were reportedly sent just minutes before the end of a localised ceasefire in the front-line Kherson region.

The incidents have raised concerns over the security and reliability of emergency warning systems amid the ongoing war between the two countries.